


Don't hurt Demeter's trees. I'm serious.

by ChopinWorshipper



Series: The Olympians and their everyday shenanigans [14]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Background Poseidon (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Demeter Is Pissed, Demeter doesn't play, Gen, Sacred Trees, Save the planet, Starvation, attempted slave trade, don't fell Demeter's trees, murder of a Dryas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:06:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29823981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChopinWorshipper/pseuds/ChopinWorshipper
Summary: Erysikhthon makes the grave mistake of felling a sacred tree in Demeter's grove, incurring the goddess's wrath. Now he learns the hard way, that the Corn-Mother doesn't mess around.
Series: The Olympians and their everyday shenanigans [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148963
Kudos: 2





	Don't hurt Demeter's trees. I'm serious.

Demeter loved her trees, she loved the Dryades who lived there and she loved their merry dancing in her sacred groves.

And she would be damned, if she let anyone take that cheer away from her!

But lately she had no reason to be cheerful.

No, it wasn't about Persephone; it was summer, thus she was here with her mother.

Oh no.

Demeter and the other gods were pissed at Erysikhthon, the king of a wealthy kingdom in Thessaly.

He was insolent and scorned the gods. None of the Olympians had ever received sacrifices from him, despite the prosperity they had bestowed onto the kingdom.

So they were holding council on what to do with him.

Ares had just suggested to flat out kill him in the most brutal manner to make an example, when Persephone entered the hall and informed her father, that a group of visitors asked for an audience.

The Olympians exchanged curious glances and murmured among another.

The King of the Gods nodded and asked his daughter to show the visitors in.

Persephone went back outside, only to return to the assembly with a group of visibly distraught and black-clad Dryades and, to everybody's surprise, with Nemesis, the dark and inescapable goddess of righteous indignation and retribution.

Zeus frowned: “I see, you must have been greatly wronged, if punishing Nemesis is with you. What happened?”

The Dryades started to chatter and rave all at once and all the Olympians could make out was “Erysikhthon”, “sacrilege” and “justice”.

Nemesis held up her hands. “Settle down, girls. Let me handle this.”

They fell into mournful silence and the daughter of Nyx stepped forth, her black sword in hand.

Her floating black hair and blazing eyes gave away her subdued wrath and her raven wings were partially spread.

“Hail to you, King of the Gods, Champion of Justice!”, she addressed Zeus. “And you happy Olympians. Hear me! And avenge a wrong that has been committed not only against the Nymphai behind me, but also against All-Nourishing Demeter.”

Demeter's face darkened. “Explain!”

Nemesis turned to her with a grim mien. “These are the Dryades¹ from your sacred grove at Dotion. And they are mourning their sister, the Hamadryas of the ancient and giant oak you loved so dearly. Erysikhthon went into your grove with several armed men, felled her tree and heeded not her warnings, nor the pleas of her sisters.”

One of the mourning Dryades darted forward and prostrated herself before Demeter's throne.

“Hear us, generous Demeter, Noble Goddess, Erynis²!”, she clamoured tearfully. “He murdered our beloved sister, just so he could build a roof for his new banquet hall! Oh Corn-Mother, we beseech you, avenge our fallen sister! Give us justice! Give us revenge! We cannot stay at that grove, as long as that godless villain walks around unpunished!”

Demeter rose from her throne and nodded.

“And punished he shall be”, she guaranteed the distraught Nymphai. “Now return from whence you came. And rest secure in the knowledge, that his will be a most horrible fate.”

The Dryades bowed to everyone and saw themselves out, pacified by the promise of retribution.

Nemesis lingered. “Do you have a plan, Potnia³?”, she asked the corn goddess. “Do you need my assistance?”

Demeter declined: “No, thank you, Nemesis. I already have the perfect punishment for him.”

The goddess of retribution nodded and left – without bowing to the Olympians.

For a few minutes the council sat in silence.

Then Zeus turned to his sister: “So, what is that perfect punishment you meant?”

The golden-haired goddess elaborated: “The fact, that Erysikhthon felled my tree to build himself a dining hall gives me an idea. So he wants to hold feasts in this hall that has my favourite Nymphe's blood all over it? He wants to hold banquets? Well, then hold them he shall! I will command Eris' daughter Limos to inflict him with cruel hunger! He shall feast and feast and never be sated! He shall starve in front of full tables!”

Zeus nodded. “Very well. A cruel punishment for a cruel man. Good luck, sister.”

Demeter nodded at him and left the assembly to set her plan into motion.

She summoned the strongest mountain Nymphai she knew and out of them chose a red-haired Oreias.

“There is a barren, frosty landscape at the furthest outskirts of Scythia. A grim landscape, where nothing grows”, she told the Oreias. “That desert is home to Limos, the Starvation-Bringer. What I want you to do is take my chariot and my Drakones and travel to that bleak place. Find Limos and give her an order from me: bid her to haunt Erysikhthon, king of Thessaly and not let my power of abundance stop her. I want her to fill him with her emptiness and unquenchable hunger. Good luck.”

The Nymphe thanked her and mounted the chariot and took to the skies with it.

And so the brave Oreias followed the directions given to her by Demeter.

It took her a while to get there, but when she did, it wasn't long until she found Limos.

The personification of hunger was practically crawling across the rocky wasteland, plucking the scarce weeds.

Even from afar, the sight of her almost made the poor Nymphe throw up with how horrific it was.

Limos was all skin and bones, her stomach was practically nonexistent and her teeth were rotting, her hair was thin and coarse and her skin a deathly shade of grey. Her ankles, elbows and feet were swollen and clubby, instead of fingers she had claws and her eyes were void of colour, life or even hope. Her ribs stood out of her chest like small tombstones.

She truly was hunger and starvation incarnate.

Not daring to come close to the Kakodaimona⁴, the Nymphe called out to her: “Limos!”

The wretched creature looked up and smiled hideously.

“I am as old as mankind”, Limos rasped. “But never before has anyone other than my mother and siblings visited me in my barren home. Welcome, child! I would offer you hospitality, but I have nothing to offer at all. What can I do for you?”

The Oreias called back: “I'm here at the bidding of Demeter!”

“The Corn-Mother? What could the Giver of Plenty possibly want from _me_?”

Demeter, as the goddess of nourishment and prosperity, and Limos, goddess of hunger and famine, were immortal adversaries and polar opposites, hence they could never meet in person.

The Oreias gave the Kakodaimona Demeter's order and after receiving Limos' answer (a slow nod), hurried to leave, for the Starvation-Bringer's presence was beginning to cause a gnawing feeling in her stomach.

Demeter was satisfied, when her messenger returned her chariot and informed her of Limos' consent.

That very night, the daughter of Eris entered the bedroom of Erysikhthon and bent over his sleeping form. Limos opened his mouth, placed her hands onto his forehead and stomach and filled him with her emptiness and unquenchable hunger, just as Demeter had ordered. Then she vanished, leaving the mortal to feel the gnawing sensation even in his sleep.

In the next months, Erysikhthon proceeded to devour his entire fortune, spending all the resources he had on food.

When he had no more money left, he went on to sell his daughter into slavery.

In her peril she prayed to Poseidon, who had once been her lover and received from him the gift of shapeshifting. In this manner she escaped every attempt at being sold and finally decided to run away altogether, away from her godless father.

Eventually his hunger drove him to digging his teeth into his own flesh and he died a most cruel death.

Demeter was the Giver of Plenty, the nurturer of the world.

Angering her always lead to suffering and misery beyond comprehension, for she was as unyielding and merciless as she was generous.

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Dryades are tree nymphs. Hamadryades are the nymphs of oak trees specifically.  
> 2) Erynis ("The Fury/The Wrathful One"), one of Demeter's epithets.  
> 3) Potnia ("Mistress/Lady/Queen"), one of Demeter's (and Persephone's) epithets.  
> 4) The Kakodaimones ("Wicked Spirits") are malevolent spirits begotten by Eris, the goddess of strife and discord.


End file.
